Mega Millions winner not yet identified

Jeff Holyfield and his colleagues at the Michigan Lottery are waiting for one particular telephone call.

When it comes, they’ll know the identity of the lucky person who holds the jackpot-winning ticket from Friday’s Mega Millions, multi-state lottery game.

“We’re still waiting for the winner to call us,” said Holyfield, lottery spokesman. “That could be in a few days or a few weeks.”

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One person holds that life-changing ticket. It matches the winning numbers from Friday’s Mega Millions drawing. Those numbers are: 7-38-46-49-56 with a Mega Ball of 1. The ticket was purchased in Mount Clemens.

“Somebody out there had a great weekend,” Holyfield said.

Typically, Holyfield added, winners of large jackpots prefer to get their financial houses in order before they come forward to claim the prize. Visits to financial advisers and lawyers are commonplace, which can delay winners.

But if the winner had hoped to remain anonymous, that’s not part of the program. In Michigan, winners of large jackpots are a matter of public record, and lottery officials usually trumpet the triumph with a news conference, complete with television cameras, reporters and lots of questions. So much for privacy.

Some winners are disappointed to learn their good fortune can’t remain a secret, but others want to shout the news, Holyfield said.

One winner told lottery officials no amount of publicity was too much because his luck was a “blessing from God” he wanted to share. Another pleaded for officials to publicize his luck because “he was from Hillsdale, and people in Hillsdale didn’t believe he won.”

“There’s all kinds of motivation,” Holyfield said.

The state treasurer’s office and Friend of the Court also are curious. Under Michigan law, lottery officials check the background of winners of prizes worth $1,000 or more to determine if the ticket holder owes back taxes or is in arrears on child-support payments.

If such debts are owed, the agencies deduct the amount from the winnings.

According to Michigan Lottery records, the winning ticket was sold about 3:30 p.m. Friday at Sonny’s Mart, a gas station/convenience store located at Market Street and Northbound Gratiot in downtown Mount Clemens.